Retraction systems, assemblies, and devices

ABSTRACT

Retraction systems, assemblies, and devices for retracting an end unit are provided. A retraction assembly may be configured to move the end unit of a robot between a first state and a second state. A first signal may be received indicating a working condition. A first instruction may be generated to move the end unit from the second state to the first state. The retraction assembly may be caused to move the end unit from the second state to the first state based on receiving the first signal and the first instruction. The end unit may be held in the first state when the first signal is being received and the retraction assembly may move the end unit from the first state to the second state when the first signal is not received.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure is generally directed to retraction systems,assemblies, and devices, and relates more particularly to retractionsystems, assemblies, and devices for retracting an end unit of a robot.

Surgical robots may assist a surgeon or other medical provider incarrying out a surgical procedure, or may complete one or more surgicalprocedures autonomously. Providing controllable linked articulatingmembers allows a surgical robot to reach areas of a patient anatomyduring various medical procedures.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Example aspects of the present disclosure include:

A retraction system according to at least one embodiment of the presentdisclosure comprises a retraction assembly configured to move an endunit of a robot between a first state and a second state; a processor;and a memory storing data for processing by the processor, the data,when processed, causes the processor to: receive a first signalindicating a working condition that correlates to the end unit incondition for use; generate a first instruction to move the end unitfrom the second state to the first state; and cause the retractionassembly to move the end unit from the second state to the first statebased on receiving the first signal indicating the working condition andthe first instruction; wherein the end unit is held in the first statewhen the first signal is being received and the retraction assemblymoves the end unit from the first state to the second state when thefirst signal is not received.

Any of the aspects herein, wherein the end unit is extended from therobot when in the first state and retracted towards the robot when inthe second state.

Any of the aspects herein, wherein the working condition comprises theretraction assembly receiving power from a power source.

Any of the aspects herein, wherein the memory store further data forprocessing by the processor that, when processed, causes the processorto: receive a second signal indicating a retracting condition; generatea second instruction to move the end unit from the first state to thesecond state; and cause the retraction assembly to move the end unitfrom the first state to the second state based on the retractingcondition.

Any of the aspects herein, wherein the retracting condition comprises anapplied force measured at the end unit meeting or exceeding a forcethreshold.

Any of the aspects herein, wherein the retraction assembly comprises anelectric coil configured to move the end unit between the first stateand the second state and a biasing member configured to exert a biasingforce to bias the end unit to the second state.

Any of the aspects herein, wherein the electric coil causes the end unitto extend against the biasing force to move the end unit from the secondstate to the first state when the electric coil is energized.

Any of the aspects herein, wherein the biasing force moves the end unitfrom the first state to the second state when the electric coil is notenergized.

Any of the aspects herein, wherein the electric coil is configured to beenergized in a first condition and a second condition, wherein theelectric coil is configured to move the end unit from the first state tothe second state when energized in the first condition and wherein theelectric coil is configured to move the end unit from the second stateto the first state when energized in the second condition.

Any of the aspects herein, wherein the end unit comprises a surgicaltool or instrument.

A retraction assembly according to at least one embodiment of thepresent disclosure comprises a housing configured to receive an endunit; an electric coil configured to move the end unit between a firststate and a second state; and a biasing member positioned inside of thehousing and configured to exert a biasing force to bias the end unit tothe second state, wherein the electric coil causes the end unit toextend against the biasing force to move the end unit from the secondstate to the first state when the electric coil is energized.

Any of the aspects herein, wherein the housing comprises a stopperconfigured to stop the end unit from extending past a predetermineddistance.

Any of the aspects herein, wherein the end unit extends from the housingwhen in the first state and retracts inside of the housing when in thesecond state.

Any of the aspects herein, wherein the biasing member comprises aspring.

Any of the aspects herein, wherein the biasing force moves the end unitfrom the first state to the second state when the electric coil is notenergized.

Any of the aspects herein, wherein the end unit comprises a surgicaltool or instrument.

Any of the aspects herein, wherein the electric coil is configured to beenergized in a first condition and a second condition, wherein theelectric coil is configured to move the end unit from the first state tothe second state when energized in the first condition and wherein theelectric coil is configured to move the end unit from the second stateto the first state when energized in the second condition.

A device for retracting an end unit according to at least one embodimentof the present disclosure comprises a processor; and a memory storingdata for processing by the processor, the data, when processed, causesthe processor to: receive a first signal indicating a working conditionthat correlates to an end unit in condition for use; generate a firstinstruction to move the end unit from the second state to the firststate; and cause a retraction assembly to move the end unit from thesecond state to the first state based on the working condition and theinstruction; wherein the end unit is held in the first state when thefirst signal is being received and the retraction assembly moves the endunit from the first state to the second state when the first signal isnot received.

Any of the aspects herein, wherein the working condition comprises theretraction assembly receiving power from a power source.

Any of the aspects herein, wherein the memory store further data forprocessing by the processor that, when processed, causes the processorto: receive a second signal indicating a retracting condition; generatea second instruction to move the end unit from the first state to thesecond state; and cause the retraction assembly to move the end unitfrom the first state to the second state based on the retractingcondition.

Any aspect in combination with any one or more other aspects.

Any one or more of the features disclosed herein.

Any one or more of the features as substantially disclosed herein.

Any one or more of the features as substantially disclosed herein incombination with any one or more other features as substantiallydisclosed herein.

Any one of the aspects/features/embodiments in combination with any oneor more other aspects/features/embodiments.

Use of any one or more of the aspects or features as disclosed herein.

It is to be appreciated that any feature described herein can be claimedin combination with any other feature(s) as described herein, regardlessof whether the features come from the same described embodiment.

The details of one or more aspects of the disclosure are set forth inthe accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features,objects, and advantages of the techniques described in this disclosurewill be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.

The phrases “at least one”, “one or more”, and “and/or” are open-endedexpressions that are both conjunctive and disjunctive in operation. Forexample, each of the expressions “at least one of A, B and C”, “at leastone of A, B, or C”, “one or more of A, B, and C”, “one or more of A, B,or C” and “A, B, and/or C” means A alone, B alone, C alone, A and Btogether, A and C together, B and C together, or A, B and C together.When each one of A, B, and C in the above expressions refers to anelement, such as X, Y, and Z, or class of elements, such as X1-Xn,Y1-Ym, and Z1-Zo, the phrase is intended to refer to a single elementselected from X, Y, and Z, a combination of elements selected from thesame class (e.g., X1 and X2) as well as a combination of elementsselected from two or more classes (e.g., Y1 and Zo).

The term “a” or “an” entity refers to one or more of that entity. Assuch, the terms “a” (or “an”), “one or more” and “at least one” can beused interchangeably herein. It is also to be noted that the terms“comprising”, “including”, and “having” can be used interchangeably.

The preceding is a simplified summary of the disclosure to provide anunderstanding of some aspects of the disclosure. This summary is neitheran extensive nor exhaustive overview of the disclosure and its variousaspects, embodiments, and configurations. It is intended neither toidentify key or critical elements of the disclosure nor to delineate thescope of the disclosure but to present selected concepts of thedisclosure in a simplified form as an introduction to the more detaileddescription presented below. As will be appreciated, other aspects,embodiments, and configurations of the disclosure are possibleutilizing, alone or in combination, one or more of the features setforth above or described in detail below.

Numerous additional features and advantages of the present disclosurewill become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration ofthe embodiment descriptions provided hereinbelow.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings are incorporated into and form a part of thespecification to illustrate several examples of the present disclosure.These drawings, together with the description, explain the principles ofthe disclosure. The drawings simply illustrate preferred and alternativeexamples of how the disclosure can be made and used and are not to beconstrued as limiting the disclosure to only the illustrated anddescribed examples. Further features and advantages will become apparentfrom the following, more detailed, description of the various aspects,embodiments, and configurations of the disclosure, as illustrated by thedrawings referenced below.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system according to at least oneembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a retraction assembly according to atleast one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram of a retraction assembly in a first stateaccording to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3B is a schematic diagram of a retraction assembly in a secondstate according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;and

FIG. 4 is a flowchart according to at least one embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It should be understood that various aspects disclosed herein may becombined in different combinations than the combinations specificallypresented in the description and accompanying drawings. It should alsobe understood that, depending on the example or embodiment, certain actsor events of any of the processes or methods described herein may beperformed in a different sequence, and/or may be added, merged, or leftout altogether (e.g., all described acts or events may not be necessaryto carry out the disclosed techniques according to different embodimentsof the present disclosure). In addition, while certain aspects of thisdisclosure are described as being performed by a single module or unitfor purposes of clarity, it should be understood that the techniques ofthis disclosure may be performed by a combination of units or modulesassociated with, for example, a computing device and/or a medicaldevice.

In one or more examples, the described methods, processes, andtechniques may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or anycombination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions may bestored as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable mediumand executed by a hardware-based processing unit. Alternatively oradditionally, functions may be implemented using machine learningmodels, neural networks, artificial neural networks, or combinationsthereof (alone or in combination with instructions). Computer-readablemedia may include non-transitory computer-readable media, whichcorresponds to a tangible medium such as data storage media (e.g., RAM,ROM, EEPROM, flash memory, or any other medium that can be used to storedesired program code in the form of instructions or data structures andthat can be accessed by a computer).

Instructions may be executed by one or more processors, such as one ormore digital signal processors (DSPs), general purpose microprocessors(e.g., Intel Core i3, i5, i7, or i9 processors; Intel Celeronprocessors; Intel Xeon processors; Intel Pentium processors; AMD Ryzenprocessors; AMD Athlon processors; AMD Phenom processors; Apple A10 or10X Fusion processors; Apple A11, A12, A12X, A12Z, or A13 Bionicprocessors; or any other general purpose microprocessors), graphicsprocessing units (e.g., Nvidia GeForce RTX 2000-series processors,Nvidia GeForce RTX 3000-series processors, AMD Radeon RX 5000-seriesprocessors, AMD Radeon RX 6000-series processors, or any other graphicsprocessing units), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs),field programmable logic arrays (FPGAs), or other equivalent integratedor discrete logic circuitry. Accordingly, the term “processor” as usedherein may refer to any of the foregoing structure or any other physicalstructure suitable for implementation of the described techniques. Also,the techniques could be fully implemented in one or more circuits orlogic elements.

Before any embodiments of the disclosure are explained in detail, it isto be understood that the disclosure is not limited in its applicationto the details of construction and the arrangement of components setforth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. Thedisclosure is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or ofbeing carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that thephraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose ofdescription and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of“including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof herein ismeant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereofas well as additional items. Further, the present disclosure may useexamples to illustrate one or more aspects thereof. Unless explicitlystated otherwise, the use or listing of one or more examples (which maybe denoted by “for example,” “by way of example,” “e.g.,” “such as,” orsimilar language) is not intended to and does not limit the scope of thepresent disclosure.

The terms proximal and distal are used in this disclosure with theirconventional medical meanings, proximal being closer to the operator oruser of the system, and further from the region of surgical interest inor on the patient, and distal being closer to the region of surgicalinterest in or on the patient, and further from the operator or user ofthe system.

Surgical robots may be used to perform a surgical procedure autonomouslyor semi-autonomously such as, for example, cutting a patient with asurgical tool or instrument. During such surgical procedures, it isdesirable to protect the patient from unintentional cutting or damagefrom the surgical tool or instrument. Conventional robots may sag orfall when power is turned off, which may be harmful to a patient if therobot sags towards the patient. In emergency situations, it isundesirable for the robot to fall even a fraction of a mm towards thepatient. Further, in some instances a maximum force that the surgicalinstrument or tool should not exceed during a procedure to preventexcessive force to the patient is known.

In at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, a mechanism suchas a retraction assembly for keeping a robot, a robotic arm, an endeffector, an end device and/or an end unit such as, for example, asurgical tool or instrument in a working position (such as, for example,a cutting position) when actively actuated is provided. If power is lostto the mechanism, then the end unit is retracted to a safe position. Ifa force as measured at the end unit is too high, the end unit may beretracted and a user may be alerted of the excessive force. The end unitmay be sheathed in a housing so as to protect the end unit and preventdamage to the patient and/or the surgical team by the end unit. Thus, asafer environment is provided to the patient and the surgical team. Themechanism also provides for a robot that is more robust for a surgeonand reduces robotic error e.g., reduces excessive forces and cuttingunwanted areas. Further, excessive force mitigation also improves robotaccuracy.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide technical solutions to oneor more of the problems of (1) preventing an end unit from undesirablycontacting a patient, (2) preventing an end unit from applying excessiveforce to a patient, (3) providing a safety mechanism for autonomous orsemi-autonomous surgical robots, (4) increasing patient and surgicalteam safety, and (5) preventing harm to a patient and/or surgical teamfrom a robot operating with a retraction device

Turning first to FIG. 1 , a block diagram of a system 100 according toat least one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. The system100 may be used to retract an end unit such as an end unit 124, 206 of arobot such as a robot 114 and/or carry out one or more other aspects ofone or more of the methods disclosed herein. The system 100 comprises acomputing device 102, one or more imaging devices 112, a robot 114, anavigation system 118, a database 130, and/or a cloud or other network134. Systems according to other embodiments of the present disclosuremay comprise more or fewer components than the system 100. For example,the system 100 may not include the imaging device 112, the robot 114,the navigation system 118, one or more components of the computingdevice 102, the database 130, and/or the cloud 134.

The computing device 102 comprises a processor 104, a memory 106, acommunication interface 108, and a user interface 110. Computing devicesaccording to other embodiments of the present disclosure may comprisemore or fewer components than the computing device 102.

The processor 104 of the computing device 102 may be any processordescribed herein or any similar processor. The processor 104 may beconfigured to execute instructions stored in the memory 106, whichinstructions may cause the processor 104 to carry out one or morecomputing steps utilizing or based on data received from the imagingdevice 112, the robot 114, the navigation system 118, the database 130,and/or the cloud 134.

The memory 106 may be or comprise RAM, DRAM, SDRAM, other solid-statememory, any memory described herein, or any other tangible,non-transitory memory for storing computer-readable data and/orinstructions. The memory 106 may store information or data useful forcompleting, for example, any step of the method 400 described herein, orof any other methods. The memory 106 may store, for example,instructions and/or machine learning models that support one or morefunctions of the robot 114. For instance, the memory 106 may storecontent (e.g., instructions and/or machine learning models) that, whenexecuted by the processor 104, enable signal processing 120.

The signal processing 120 enables the processor 104 to process signaldata (received from for example, a retraction assembly 126, a powersource, the computing device 102, or any component of the system 100 orany component outside of the system 100) for the purpose of, forexample, identifying one or more conditions of the retraction assembly126. The conditions may comprise, for example, a working condition, aretracting condition, a standby condition, or any other condition. Theworking condition may correlate to whether the end unit 124 is in aworking condition and ready for use and may indicate that the end unit124 is in condition for use. For example, the working condition mayindicate that power is received by the end unit 124 of the retractionassembly. The working condition may also indicate activation of, forexample, an activation button by a user of the end unit 124. Forexample, the user may press an activation button and/or maintain a holdon the activation button to maintain the working condition. Theactivation button may provide an additional safety feature and mayprevent the end unit 124 from moving from the second state to the firststate and/or being operated unless the activation button is activated.In other words, the end unit 124 may not move from the second state tothe first state and/or the end unit 124 may not be operated until theactivation button is activated (and in some examples, power is alsoreceived by the end unit 124).

The retracting condition may indicate that the end unit 124 iscompromised. When the retracting condition is activated, the end unit124 is retracted towards the robot 114 and away from, for example, asurgical site. The retracting condition may be activated or triggered,for example, a force measured at the end unit meeting or exceeding aforce threshold or loss of power to the end unit. The retractioncondition may also be activated by a loss of power to the end unit 124.The standby condition may indicate that the end unit 124 is not in use.In the standby condition, the end unit 124 may be retracted towards therobot 114 and into a housing 202 (shown in FIGS. 2, 3A, and 3B) toprotect the end unit 124 from damage and/or to prevent damage from theend unit 124 to, for example, a patient or a surgical team.

The content, if provided as in instruction, may, in some embodiments, beorganized into one or more applications, modules, packages, layers, orengines. Alternatively or additionally, the memory 106 may store othertypes of content or data (e.g., machine learning models, artificialneural networks, deep neural networks, etc.) that can be processed bythe processor 104 to carry out the various method and features describedherein. Thus, although various contents of memory 106 may be describedas instructions, it should be appreciated that functionality describedherein can be achieved through use of instructions, algorithms, and/ormachine learning models. The data, algorithms, and/or instructions maycause the processor 104 to manipulate data stored in the memory 106and/or received from or via the imaging device 112, the robot 114, thedatabase 130, and/or the cloud 134.

The memory 106 may also store a surgical plan 122. The surgical plan 122may comprise, for example, one or more steps for performing a surgicalprocedure and/or one or more expected thresholds for monitoring one ormore parameters during the surgical procedure. For example, the surgicalplan 122 may include steps for activating the end unit 124 to put theend unit 124 in the working condition and steps for deactivating the endunit 124 to put the end unit 124 in the standby condition. In someembodiments, the surgical procedure may be a spinal procedure (e.g., aspinal alignment, installing implants, osteotomy, fusion, and/or anyother spinal procedure). The surgical plan 122 may also be stored in thedatabase 130.

The computing device 102 may also comprise a communication interface108. The communication interface 108 may be used for receiving imagedata or other information from an external source (such as the imagingdevice 112, the robot 114, the navigation system 118, the database 130,the cloud 134, and/or any other system or component not part of thesystem 100), and/or for transmitting instructions, images, or otherinformation to an external system or device (e.g., another computingdevice 102, the imaging device 112, the robot 114, the navigation system118, the database 130, the cloud 134, and/or any other system orcomponent not part of the system 100). The communication interface 108may comprise one or more wired interfaces (e.g., a USB port, an Ethernetport, a Firewire port) and/or one or more wireless transceivers orinterfaces (configured, for example, to transmit and/or receiveinformation via one or more wireless communication protocols such as802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth, NFC, ZigBee, and so forth). In someembodiments, the communication interface 108 may be useful for enablingthe device 102 to communicate with one or more other processors 104 orcomputing devices 102, whether to reduce the time needed to accomplish acomputing-intensive task or for any other reason.

The computing device 102 may also comprise one or more user interfaces110. The user interface 110 may be or comprise a keyboard, mouse,trackball, monitor, television, screen, touchscreen, and/or any otherdevice for receiving information from a user and/or for providinginformation to a user. The user interface 110 may be used, for example,to receive a user selection or other user input regarding any step ofany method described herein. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any requiredinput for any step of any method described herein may be generatedautomatically by the system 100 (e.g., by the processor 104 or anothercomponent of the system 100) or received by the system 100 from a sourceexternal to the system 100. In some embodiments, the user interface 110may be useful to allow a surgeon or other user to modify instructions tobe executed by the processor 104 according to one or more embodiments ofthe present disclosure, and/or to modify or adjust a setting of otherinformation displayed on the user interface 110 or correspondingthereto.

Although the user interface 110 is shown as part of the computing device102, in some embodiments, the computing device 102 may utilize a userinterface 110 that is housed separately from one or more remainingcomponents of the computing device 102. In some embodiments, the userinterface 110 may be located proximate one or more other components ofthe computing device 102, while in other embodiments, the user interface110 may be located remotely from one or more other components of thecomputer device 102.

The imaging device 112 may be operable to image anatomical feature(s)(e.g., a bone, veins, tissue, etc.) and/or other aspects of patientanatomy to yield image data (e.g., image data depicting or correspondingto a bone, veins, tissue, etc.). “Image data” as used herein refers tothe data generated or captured by an imaging device 112, including in amachine-readable form, a graphical/visual form, and in any other form.In various examples, the image data may comprise data corresponding toan anatomical feature of a patient, or to a portion thereof. The imagedata may be or comprise a preoperative image, an intraoperative image, apostoperative image, or an image taken independently of any surgicalprocedure. In some embodiments, a first imaging device 112 may be usedto obtain first image data (e.g., a first image) at a first time, and asecond imaging device 112 may be used to obtain second image data (e.g.,a second image) at a second time after the first time. The imagingdevice 112 may be capable of taking a 2D image or a 3D image to yieldthe image data. The imaging device 112 may be or comprise, for example,an ultrasound scanner (which may comprise, for example, a physicallyseparate transducer and receiver, or a single ultrasound transceiver),an O-arm, a C-arm, a G-arm, or any other device utilizing X-ray-basedimaging (e.g., a fluoroscope, a CT scanner, or other X-ray machine), amagnetic resonance imaging (MM) scanner, an optical coherence tomography(OCT) scanner, an endoscope, a microscope, an optical camera, athermographic camera (e.g., an infrared camera), a radar system (whichmay comprise, for example, a transmitter, a receiver, a processor, andone or more antennae), or any other imaging device 112 suitable forobtaining images of an anatomical feature of a patient. The imagingdevice 112 may be contained entirely within a single housing, or maycomprise a transmitter/emitter and a receiver/detector that are inseparate housings or are otherwise physically separated.

In some embodiments, the imaging device 112 may comprise more than oneimaging device 112. For example, a first imaging device may providefirst image data and/or a first image, and a second imaging device mayprovide second image data and/or a second image. In still otherembodiments, the same imaging device may be used to provide both thefirst image data and the second image data, and/or any other image datadescribed herein. The imaging device 112 may be operable to generate astream of image data. For example, the imaging device 112 may beconfigured to operate with an open shutter, or with a shutter thatcontinuously alternates between open and shut so as to capturesuccessive images. For purposes of the present disclosure, unlessspecified otherwise, image data may be considered to be continuousand/or provided as an image data stream if the image data represents twoor more frames per second.

The robot 114 may be any surgical robot or surgical robotic system. Therobot 114 may be or comprise, for example, the Mazor X™ Stealth Editionrobotic guidance system. The robot 114 may be configured to position,for example, the retraction assembly 126 and the end unit 124 at one ormore precise position(s) and orientation(s), and/or to return theretraction assembly 126 and the end unit 124 to the same position(s) andorientation(s) at a later point in time. The robot 114 may additionallyor alternatively be configured to manipulate a surgical tool (whetherbased on guidance from the navigation system 118 or not) to accomplishor to assist with a surgical task. In some embodiments, the robot 114may be configured to hold and/or manipulate an anatomical element duringor in connection with a surgical procedure. The robot 114 may compriseone or more robotic arms 116. In some embodiments, the robotic arm 116may comprise a first robotic arm and a second robotic arm, though therobot 114 may comprise more than two robotic arms. In some embodiments,one or more of the robotic arms 116 may be used to hold and/or maneuverthe retraction assembly 126 and the end unit 124. In embodiments wheretwo retraction assemblies 126 and end units 124 are used, one roboticarm 116 may hold one set, and another robotic arm 116 may hold anotherset. Each robotic arm 116 may be positionable independently of the otherrobotic arm. The robotic arms 116 may be controlled in a single, sharedcoordinate space, or in separate coordinate spaces.

The robot 114, together with the robotic arm 116, may have, for example,one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, or more degrees of freedom.Further, the robotic arm 116 may be positioned or positionable in anypose, plane, and/or focal point. The pose includes a position and anorientation. As a result, the retraction assembly 126, the end unit 124,a surgical tool, or other object held by the robot 114 (or, morespecifically, by the robotic arm 116) may be precisely positionable inone or more needed and specific positions and orientations.

The robotic arm(s) 116 may comprise one or more sensors that enable theprocessor 104 (or a processor of the robot 114) to determine a precisepose in space of the robotic arm (as well as any object or element heldby or secured to the robotic arm). The one or more sensors may alsomeasure a force at an end of the robotic arm 116. More specifically, insome embodiments, the sensors may measure a force at an end unitdisposed at the end of the robotic arm 116. It will be appreciated thatsensors may be used in any other component. For example, a manuallyoperated surgical tool may comprise a retraction assembly 126 and asensor for measuring a force at the surgical tool. The retractionassembly 126 may be triggered when the sensor measures a force at thesurgical tool that meets or exceeds a force threshold.

In some embodiments, reference markers (e.g., navigation markers) may beplaced on the robot 114 (including, e.g., on the robotic arm 116), theimaging device 112, the retraction assembly 126, the end unit 124 or anyother object in the surgical space. The reference markers may be trackedby the navigation system 118, and the results of the tracking may beused by the robot 114 and/or by an operator of the system 100 or anycomponent thereof. In some embodiments, the navigation system 118 can beused to track other components of the system (e.g., the retractionassembly 126 and the end unit 124) and the system can operate withoutthe use of the robot 114 (e.g., with the surgeon manually manipulatingthe retraction assembly 126 and the end unit 124 and/or one or moresurgical tools, based on information and/or instructions generated bythe navigation system 118, for example).

The robot 114 may also comprise one or more retraction assemblies 126for moving an end unit 124. The end unit 124 may comprise, for example,a surgical instrument and/or a surgical tool. The retraction assembly126 may be oriented by, for example, the robotic arm 116. The retractionassembly 126 (and thus the end unit 124) may be positioned at an end ofthe robotic arm 116 or on any portion of the robot 114 and/or therobotic arm 116. It will be appreciated that in some embodiments, theretraction assembly 126 and the end unit 124 may be manually operatedby, for example, a user such as a surgeon or other medical provider. Theretraction assembly 126 may be configured to move the end unit 124 froma first state to a second state. It will be appreciated that theretraction assembly 126 may move the end unit 124 to any number ofstates. In some embodiments, the end unit 124 is extended from the robot114 when in the first state and the end unit 124 is retracted towardsthe robot 114 when in the second state. More specifically, and as willbe discussed in more detail with respect to FIGS. 2, 3A, and 3B, the endunit 124 may be retracted into a housing 202 so as to cover the end unit124 and prevent damage from or to the end unit 124 when the end unit 124is not in use.

The navigation system 118 may provide navigation for a surgeon and/or asurgical robot during an operation. The navigation system 118 may be anynow-known or future-developed navigation system, including, for example,the Medtronic StealthStation™ S8 surgical navigation system or anysuccessor thereof. The navigation system 118 may include one or morecameras or other sensor(s) for tracking one or more reference markers,navigated trackers, or other objects within the operating room or otherroom in which some or all of the system 100 is located. The one or morecameras may be optical cameras, infrared cameras, or other cameras. Insome embodiments, the navigation system 118 may comprise one or moreelectromagnetic sensors. In various embodiments, the navigation system118 may be used to track a position and orientation (e.g., a pose) ofthe imaging device 112, the retraction assembly 126, the end unit 124,the robot 114 and/or robotic arm 116, and/or one or more surgical tools(or, more particularly, to track a pose of a navigated tracker attached,directly or indirectly, in fixed relation to the one or more of theforegoing). The navigation system 118 may include a display fordisplaying one or more images from an external source (e.g., thecomputing device 102, imaging device 112, or other source) or fordisplaying an image and/or video stream from the one or more cameras orother sensors of the navigation system 118. In some embodiments, thesystem 100 can operate without the use of the navigation system 118. Thenavigation system 118 may be configured to provide guidance to a surgeonor other user of the system 100 or a component thereof, to the robot114, or to any other element of the system 100 regarding, for example, apose of one or more anatomical elements, whether or not a tool is in theproper trajectory, and/or how to move a tool into the proper trajectoryto carry out a surgical task according to a preoperative or othersurgical plan.

The database 130 may store information that correlates one coordinatesystem to another (e.g., one or more robotic coordinate systems to apatient coordinate system and/or to a navigation coordinate system). Thedatabase 130 may additionally or alternatively store, for example, oneor more surgical plans 122 (including, for example, pose informationabout a target and/or image information about a patient's anatomy atand/or proximate the surgical site, for use by the robot 114, thenavigation system 118, and/or a user of the computing device 102 or ofthe system 100); one or more images useful in connection with a surgeryto be completed by or with the assistance of one or more othercomponents of the system 100; and/or any other useful information. Thedatabase 130 may be configured to provide any such information to thecomputing device 102 or to any other device of the system 100 orexternal to the system 100, whether directly or via the cloud 134. Insome embodiments, the database 130 may be or comprise part of a hospitalimage storage system, such as a picture archiving and communicationsystem (PACS), a health information system (HIS), and/or another systemfor collecting, storing, managing, and/or transmitting electronicmedical records including image data.

The cloud 134 may be or represent the Internet or any other wide areanetwork. The computing device 102 may be connected to the cloud 134 viathe communication interface 108, using a wired connection, a wirelessconnection, or both. In some embodiments, the computing device 102 maycommunicate with the database 130 and/or an external device (e.g., acomputing device) via the cloud 134.

The system 100 or similar systems may be used, for example, to carry outone or more aspects of any of the method 400 described herein. Thesystem 100 or similar systems may also be used for other purposes.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example retraction assembly 200. The assembly 200may be the same as or similar to the assembly 126 described above. Theassembly 200 comprises a housing 202 having a cavity 204 for receivingan end unit 206 (shown in FIGS. 3A-3B) and an opening 208 through whichthe end unit 206 may pass through. The end unit 206 may be the same asor similar to the end unit 124. The assembly 200 may also comprise anelectric coil 212 configured to move the end unit 206 between the firststate and the second state.

The assembly 200 may also comprise a stopper 210 configured to preventthe end unit 206 from extending past a predetermined distance. Thestopper 210 may, in some embodiments, be formed or attached to theelectric coil 212. In other embodiments, the stopper 210 may be formedor attached to the housing 202. The stopper 210 may act as a calibratorsuch that multiple end units 206 may be used and the stopper 210 mayprevent each end unit 206 from extending past the same predetermineddistance. For example, the end unit 206 may comprise a surgical knifeand the surgical knife may become dull during a procedure and may bereplaced by a subsequent surgical knife. The stopper 210 may preventboth the initial surgical knife and the subsequent surgical knife fromextending past a predetermined distance.

FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate the retraction assembly 200 in a first stateand a second state, respectively. As previously described, the end unit206 is extended from the robot 114 when in the first state (as shown inFIG. 3A) and the end unit 206 is retracted towards the robot 114 when inthe second state (as shown in FIG. 3B). In the illustrated embodiment,the retraction assembly may also include a biasing member 214 positionedinside of the housing 202. The biasing member 214 may be configured toexert a biasing force to bias the end unit 206 to the second state. Itwill be appreciated that in other embodiments, the biasing member 214may bias the end unit 206 to the first state, or any state. In suchembodiments, the electric coil 212 may cause the end unit 206 to extendagainst the biasing force to move the end unit 206 from the second stateto the first state when the electric coil 212 is energized. Conversely,the biasing force moves the end unit 206 from the first state to thesecond state when the electric coil is not energized. In someembodiments, the biasing member 214 may be a spring that exerts a springforce.

The electric coil 212 may be configured to be energized in a firstcondition and a second condition. More specifically, the electric coil212 may be configured to move the end unit 206 from the first state tothe second state when energized in the first condition and configured tomove the end unit 206 from the second state to the first state whenenergized in the second condition. When the electric coil 212 is in thesecond condition, the electric coil 212 may provide support to thebiasing member 214 to move the end unit 206 from the first state to thesecond state. Such support may be beneficial in, for example, sensitivesurgical sites where it may be desirable to remove the end unit 206 fromthe surgical site as quickly as possible when the end unit 206 istriggered to move from the first state to the second state. For example,it may be desirable to remove an end unit such as, for example, a knifefrom the surgical site as quickly as possible to prevent accidentaldamage to tissue at the surgical site.

In embodiments where the electric coil 212 may be energized in thesecond condition to move the end unit 206 from the first state to thesecond state, the assembly 200 may not include the biasing member 214.Similarly, in embodiments where the assembly 200 comprises the biasingmember 214, the electric coil 212 may not be energized in the secondstate. In still other embodiments, the electric coil 212 may not beenergized when, for example, the assembly 200 is in the standbycondition, may be energized in the first condition when the assembly 200is in the working condition, and may be energized in the secondcondition when the assembly 200 is in the retracting condition.

When the end unit 206 is retracted and moved to the second state, asshown in FIG. 3B, the biasing force and/or the electric coil 212 maymove the end unit 206 in the direction of the arrow 216. Thus, the endunit 206 is retracted into the cavity 204 of the housing 202 and housedto protect the end unit 206 from damage and/or prevent the end unit 206from causing damage to the surrounding environment.

The end unit 206 may be replaceable and more specifically, the end unit206 may be removed from and replaced in the housing 202. In someembodiments, the housing 202 and the end unit 206 may be replaced. Forexample, the housing 202 may be removed and replaced using screws,bolts, or any removable securement feature.

The assembly 200 may be beneficial in providing emergency retraction ofan end unit 206 and/or storing an end unit 206 when not in use. Forexample, in applications where the robotic arm 116 autonomously controlsan end unit 206 such as a surgical knife, the robotic arm 116 may falltowards a surgical site if power is unexpectedly lost to the robotic arm116. The assembly 200 may provide automatic retraction of the surgicalknife when power is lost, thereby preventing the surgical knife fromdamaging the surgical site if the robotic arm 116 drops towards thesurgical site. Further, the assembly 200 may provide automaticretraction of, for example, a drill when force measured at the drill atthe surgical site exceeds a force threshold, thereby preventing damageto the surgical site by the drill.

FIG. 4 depicts a method 400 that may be used, for example, for moving anend unit using a retraction assembly, system, and/or device.

The method 400 (and/or one or more steps thereof) may be carried out orotherwise performed, for example, by at least one processor. The atleast one processor may be the same as or similar to the processor(s)104 of the computing device 102 described above. The at least oneprocessor may be part of a robot (such as a robot 114) or part of anavigation system (such as a navigation system 118). A processor otherthan any processor described herein may also be used to execute themethod 400. The at least one processor may perform the method 400 byexecuting elements stored in a memory such as the memory 106. Theelements stored in memory and executed by the processor may cause theprocessor to execute one or more steps of a function as shown in method400. One or more portions of a method 400 may be performed by theprocessor executing any of the contents of memory, such as a signalprocessing 120.

The method 400 comprises receiving a first signal (step 404). The firstsignal may be received from a retraction assembly such as the retractionassembly 126, 200, a power source, a computing device such as thecomputing device 102, any component of a system such as the system 100,or any component outside of the system. The retraction assembly may beconfigured to move an end unit such as the end unit 124, 206 from afirst state to a second state. In some embodiments, the end unit isextended from a robot such as the robot 114 when in the first state andthe end unit is retracted towards the robot when in the second state.More specifically, the retraction assembly may comprise a housing suchas the housing 202 into which the end unit is retracted and from whichthe end unit is extended from. The end unit may be protected in thehousing when the end unit is in the second state (e.g., retracted) andmay also be prevented from causing damage to a patient (such as, forexample, in cases where the end unit is a knife).

The first signal may be received by a processor such as the processor104. The processor may use, for example, a signal processing such as thesignal processing 120 to process the signal data received for thepurpose of identifying one or more states of the retraction assembly. Insome embodiments, the first signal may indicate a working condition. Inother embodiments, the first signal may indicate any one or moreconditions such as, for example, a retracting condition or a standbycondition.

The working condition may indicate that the end unit is in condition foruse. For example, the working condition may indicate that power isreceived by the end unit of the retraction assembly. The workingcondition may also indicate activation of, for example, an activationbutton by a user of the end unit. For example, the user may press anactivation button and/or maintain a hold on the activation button tomaintain the working condition. The activation button may provide anadditional safety feature and may prevent the end unit from moving fromthe second state to the first state and being used unless the activationbutton is activated. In other words, the end unit may not move from thesecond state to the first state until the activation button is activated(and in some examples, power is also received by the end unit).

The method 400 also comprises generating a first instruction to move theend unit (step 408). The first instruction may be generated by, forexample, the processor. The first instruction may be generated based onthe working condition. In other words, the first instruction may begenerated when the first signal is received, indicating that the endunit is in the working condition and ready for use. The firstinstruction may comprise moving the end unit from the second state tothe first state.

The method 400 also comprises causing the retraction assembly to movethe end unit (step 412). The retraction assembly may move the end unitfrom the second state to the first state based on receiving the firstsignal indicating the working condition and the first instruction.

The assembly may include an electric coil such as the electric coil 212configured to move the end unit between the first state and the secondstate. The assembly may also comprise a stopper configured to preventthe end unit from extending past a predetermined distance. Theretraction assembly may also include a biasing member such as thebiasing member 214 positioned inside of the housing. The biasing membermay be configured to exert a biasing force to bias the end unit to thesecond state. It will be appreciated that in other embodiments, thebiasing member may bias the end unit to the first state, or any state.In embodiments where the biasing member biases the end unit to thesecond state, the electric coil may cause the end unit to extend againstthe biasing force to move the end unit from the second state to thefirst state when the electric coil is energized. Conversely, the biasingforce moves the end unit from the first state to the second state whenthe electric coil is not energized. In some embodiments, the biasingmember may be a spring that exerts a spring force.

As previously described, the electric coil may be configured to beenergized in a first condition and a second condition. Morespecifically, the electric coil may be configured to move the end unitfrom the first state to the second state when energized in the firstcondition and configured to move the end unit from the second state tothe first state when energized in the second condition. When theelectric coil is in the second condition, the electric coil may providesupport to the biasing member to move the end unit from the first stateto the second state. Such support may be beneficial in, for example,sensitive surgical sites where it may be desirable to remove the endunit from the surgical site as quickly as possible when the end unit istriggered to move from the first state to the second state. For example,it may be desirable to remove an end unit such as, for example, a knifefrom the surgical site as quickly as possible to prevent accidentaldamage to tissue at the surgical site. In embodiments where the electriccoil may be energized in the second condition to move the end unit fromthe first state to the second state, the assembly may not include thebiasing member. Similarly, in embodiments where the assembly comprisesthe biasing member, the electric coil may not be energized in the secondstate. In still other embodiments, the electric coil may not beenergized when, for example, the assembly is in the standby condition,may be energized in the first condition when the assembly is in theworking condition, and may be energized in the second condition when theassembly is in the retracting condition.

The method 400 also comprises receiving a second signal (step 416). Thestep 416 may be the same as or similar to the step 404 described above.The second signal may indicate that the end unit is in a retractingcondition and/or a standby condition. The retracting condition maycorrelate to a condition in which the end unit is compromised andretracted towards the robot 114 and away from a surgical site. Theretracting condition may be triggered by, for example, a force measuredat the end unit meeting or exceeding a force threshold and/or a loss ofpower to the end unit.

The force threshold may correlate to a maximum force that an appliedforce measured at the end unit may not exceed. The force threshold maybe determined automatically using artificial intelligence and trainingdata (e.g., historical cases) in some embodiments. In other embodiments,the force threshold may be or comprise, or be based on, surgeon inputreceived via the user interface. In further embodiments, the forcethreshold may be determined automatically using artificial intelligence,and may thereafter be reviewed and approved (or modified) by a surgeonor other user.

The standby condition may indicate that the end unit is not in use,whether due to the end of a surgical procedure or otherwise. The standbycondition may be activated by, for example, a user such as a surgeon orother medical provider. The standby condition may also be automaticallyactivated by, for example, the processor executing a step of a surgicalplan such as the surgical plan 122.

The method 400 also comprises generating a second instruction to movethe end unit (step 420). The step 420 may be the same as or similar tothe step 408 described above. The second instruction may be based on theretracting condition and/or the standby condition. In other words, thesecond instruction may be generated when the second signal is received,indicating that the end unit is in the retracting condition and/or thestandby condition and is not in use. The second instruction may comprisemoving the end unit from the first state to the second state.

The method 400 also comprises causing the retraction assembly to movethe end unit (step 424). The step 424 may be the same as or similar tothe step 412 described above with respect to moving the end unit fromthe first state to the second state. Moving the end unit from the firststate to the second state may be based on receiving the second signalindicating the retracting and/or the standby condition and the secondinstruction.

In some embodiments, when a force measured at the end unit meets orexceeds a force threshold, the retraction assembly may move the end unitfrom the first state to the second state and may also generate anotification to a user such as a surgeon or other medical provide. Thenotification may alert the user that the force at the end unit has metor exceeded the force threshold. The notification may be, for example,an audible sound and/or displayed on a user interface such as the userinterface 110.

It will be appreciated that the steps 404-412 and the steps 416-424 maybe performed in any order and may be repeated. For example, the steps416-424 may occur when a force measured at the end unit meets or exceedsa force threshold and the steps 404-412 may then occur when the forcedoes not meet or exceed the force threshold. The steps 416-424 mayrepeat when the force measured meets or exceeds the force threshold.

In some embodiments, it will be appreciated that the end unit may beheld in the first state when the first signal is being received and theretraction assembly may move the end unit from the first state to thesecond state when the first signal is not received. In other words, insome instances, the end unit may be held in the first state so long asthe first signal is continuously received. When the first signal is notreceived (whether due to, for example, power loss or otherwise), theretraction assembly may automatically move the end unit to the secondstate.

The present disclosure encompasses embodiments of the method 400 thatcomprise more or fewer steps than those described above, and/or one ormore steps that are different than the steps described above.

As noted above, the present disclosure encompasses methods with fewerthan all of the steps identified in FIG. 4 (and the correspondingdescription of the method 400), as well as methods that includeadditional steps beyond those identified in FIG. 4 (and thecorresponding description of the method 400). The present disclosurealso encompasses methods that comprise one or more steps from one methoddescribed herein, and one or more steps from another method describedherein. Any correlation described herein may be or comprise aregistration or any other correlation.

The foregoing is not intended to limit the disclosure to the form orforms disclosed herein. In the foregoing Detailed Description, forexample, various features of the disclosure are grouped together in oneor more aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations for the purpose ofstreamlining the disclosure. The features of the aspects, embodiments,and/or configurations of the disclosure may be combined in alternateaspects, embodiments, and/or configurations other than those discussedabove. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflectingan intention that the claims require more features than are expresslyrecited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect,inventive aspects lie in less than all features of a single foregoingdisclosed aspect, embodiment, and/or configuration. Thus, the followingclaims are hereby incorporated into this Detailed Description, with eachclaim standing on its own as a separate preferred embodiment of thedisclosure.

Moreover, though the foregoing has included description of one or moreaspects, embodiments, and/or configurations and certain variations andmodifications, other variations, combinations, and modifications arewithin the scope of the disclosure, e.g., as may be within the skill andknowledge of those in the art, after understanding the presentdisclosure. It is intended to obtain rights which include alternativeaspects, embodiments, and/or configurations to the extent permitted,including alternate, interchangeable and/or equivalent structures,functions, ranges or steps to those claimed, whether or not suchalternate, interchangeable and/or equivalent structures, functions,ranges or steps are disclosed herein, and without intending to publiclydedicate any patentable subject matter.

What is claimed is:
 1. A retraction system comprising: a retractionassembly configured to move an end unit of a robot between a first stateand a second state, the retraction assembly having a housing configuredto receive the end unit and an opening through which the end unitextends; a processor; and a memory storing data for processing by theprocessor, the data, when processed, causes the processor to: receive afirst signal indicating a working condition that correlates to the endunit in condition for use; generate a first instruction to move the endunit from the second state to the first state; and cause the retractionassembly to move the end unit from the second state to the first statebased on receiving the first signal indicating the working condition andthe first instruction; wherein the end unit is held in the first statewhen the first signal is being received and the retraction assemblymoves the end unit from the first state to the second state when thefirst signal is not received, and wherein the end unit extends throughthe opening and from the housing when in the first state and retractsinside of the housing and is enclosed in the housing when in the secondstate.
 2. The retraction system of claim 1, wherein the end unit isextended from the robot when in the first state and retracted towardsthe robot when in the second state.
 3. The retraction system of claim 1,wherein the working condition comprises the retraction assemblyreceiving power from a power source.
 4. The retraction system of claim1, wherein the memory store further data for processing by the processorthat, when processed, causes the processor to: receive a second signalindicating a retracting condition; generate a second instruction to movethe end unit from the first state to the second state; and cause theretraction assembly to move the end unit from the first state to thesecond state based on the retracting condition.
 5. The retraction systemof claim 4, wherein the retracting condition comprises an applied forcemeasured at the end unit meeting or exceeding a force threshold.
 6. Theretraction system of claim 1, wherein the retraction assembly comprisesan electric coil configured to move the end unit between the first stateand the second state and a biasing member configured to exert a biasingforce to bias the end unit to the second state.
 7. The retraction systemof claim 6, wherein the electric coil causes the end unit to extendagainst the biasing force to move the end unit from the second state tothe first state when the electric coil is energized.
 8. The retractionsystem of claim 6, wherein the biasing force moves the end unit from thefirst state to the second state when the electric coil is not energized.9. The retraction system of claim 6, wherein the electric coil isconfigured to be energized in a first condition and a second condition,wherein the electric coil is configured to move the end unit from thefirst state to the second state when energized in the first conditionand wherein the electric coil is configured to move the end unit fromthe second state to the first state when energized in the secondcondition.
 10. The retraction system of claim 1, wherein the end unitcomprises a surgical tool or instrument.
 11. A retraction assemblycomprising: a housing configured to receive an end unit and having anopening through which the end unit extends; an electric coil configuredto move the end unit between a first state and a second state; and abiasing member positioned inside of the housing and configured to exerta biasing force to bias the end unit to the second state, wherein theelectric coil causes the end unit to extend against the biasing force tomove the end unit from the second state to the first state when theelectric coil is energized, wherein the end unit extends through theopening and from the housing when in the first state and retracts insideof the housing and is enclosed in the housing when in the second state.12. The retraction assembly of claim 11, wherein the housing comprises astopper configured to stop the end unit from extending past apredetermined distance.
 13. (canceled)
 14. The retraction assembly ofclaim 11, wherein the biasing member comprises a spring.
 15. Theretraction assembly of claim 11, wherein the biasing force moves the endunit from the first state to the second state when the electric coil isnot energized.
 16. The retraction assembly of claim 11, wherein the endunit comprises a surgical tool or instrument.
 17. The retractionassembly of claim 11, wherein the electric coil is configured to beenergized in a first condition and a second condition, wherein theelectric coil is configured to move the end unit from the first state tothe second state when energized in the first condition and wherein theelectric coil is configured to move the end unit from the second stateto the first state when energized in the second condition.
 18. A devicefor retracting an end unit comprising: a processor; and a memory storingdata for processing by the processor, the data, when processed, causesthe processor to: receive a first signal indicating a working conditionthat correlates to an end unit of a retraction assembly in condition foruse, the retraction assembly comprising a housing configured to receivethe end unit having an opening through which the end unit extends;generate a first instruction to move the end unit from a second state toa first state; and cause a retraction assembly to move the end unit fromthe second state to the first state based on the working condition andthe first instruction; wherein the end unit is held in the first statewhen the first signal is being received and the retraction assemblymoves the end unit from the first state to the second state when thefirst signal is not received, and wherein the end unit extends throughthe opening and from the housing when in the first state and retractsinside of the housing and is enclosed in the housing when in the secondstate.
 19. The device of claim 18, wherein the working conditioncomprises the retraction assembly receiving power from a power source.20. The device of claim 18, wherein the memory store further data forprocessing by the processor that, when processed, causes the processorto: receive a second signal indicating a retracting condition; generatea second instruction to move the end unit from the first state to thesecond state; and cause the retraction assembly to move the end unitfrom the first state to the second state based on the retractingcondition.